Feeding device for pulpy masses of the type of a bucket pump,particularly for sausage filling machines



Dec. 1, 1970 J. MULLER 3,543,330

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES Filed May 6, 1968 6 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

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J. MULLER Dec. 1, 1970 FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES Filed Mayv 6, 1968 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 /nvenlor J. MULLER Dec. 1, 1970 FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES Filed May 6, 1968 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. J

3,543,330 FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. MULLER PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES PUMP lm enfur: {1W MM 7 Dec. 1, 1910 Filed May 6, 1 968 Dec. 1, 1970 J. MULLER 3,543,330

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES Filed May 6, 1968 e Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 7

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FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING Flled May 6 1968 MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent 3,543,330 FEEDING DEVICE FOR PULPY MASSES OF THE TYPE OF A BUCKET PUMP, PARTICULARLY FOR SAUSAGE FILLING MACHINES Johannes Muller, Biberach an der Riss, Germany, assignor to Albert Handtmann Metallgusswerk Armaturen- & Fleischereimaschinenfabrik, Biberach an der Riss, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed May 6, 1968, Ser. No. 726,815 Claims priority, application Germany, May 6, 1967, H 62,659 Int. Cl. A22c 11/08 US. Cl. 1737 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A feeding device for pulpy masses of the type of a bucket pump, which comprises a pump housing having a cover and a rotor disposed eccentrically in the pump housing and having radial slots. Feeding wings are guided in the rotor and cooperate with the walls of the housing. The pump housing includes an inlet channel and a vacuum chamber disposed in front of the inlet channel in order to suck off air. A common resilient element is centrally inserted in the pump housing, and the feeding wings support themselves in radial direction on the resilient element.

The present invention relates to a feeding device for pulpy masses, of the type of a bucket pump, particularly for sausage filling machines, with feeding wings of the bucket pump being guided in radial slots of a rotor disposed eccentrically in the pump housing and which cooperate with the housing wall, whereby in front of the inlet channel a vacuum chamber is provided to suck off the air. In such feeding devices, it has been found that due to the unavoidable wear of the guides for the feeding wings, a non-tolerable play is created between the wing ends and the pump housing, which influences strongly the feeding effect. Particularly of disadvantage is thereby the sucking in mass particles into the air suction device caused by the large play, which air suction device is provided within the range of the rotating feeding wings.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a feeding device for pulpy masses of the type of a bucket pump, wherein the draw-backs are avoided in the feeding device of the described type such, that in the housing chamber of the pump, a joint resilient element is centrally inserted, on which the feeding wings support themselves in radial direction. By this arrangement, a nonobjectionable sealing of the feeding wings relative to the housing wall is obtained and the unavoidable wear of the wings and of the housing wall is compensated for, whereby the mentioned disadvantageous occurrences are removed and the production simplified.

In accordance with the present invention, an annular or ring-spring is used as a resilient element, which an nular spring is set in the housing chamber of the pump concentrically to the latter and rotating with the rotor.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a further lowering of the friction between the feeding wings and the inner wall is obtainable. Furthermore, the disassembly and assembly of the particular pump parts is simplified during cleaning. For this purpose, in accordance with the present invention, a control disc is inserted in the rotor chamber eccentrically to the rotor and freely moving in radial direction, however, non-rotatably, the periphery of which control disc determines the radial position of the feeding wings and on which continuously the pretension of a spring supporting itself on the housing is effected, which spring presses the 3,543,330 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 "ice feeding wings in a predetermined range to the housing inner Wall. By this arragement, the function directly exerted on the ring spring is displaced into the control disc, whereby the elastic pressing effect originates from a spring which is usable in conventional structure and is no more connected with the individual feeding wings. With the removal of the ring spring also a simplification is obtained during the production of the feeding wings, since the production of the slit-like perforations in the wings for the receiving of the springs which requires a certain precision is now obsolete.

In accordance with a further development of the pres ent invention, an arrangement is provided in which in the pump cover a guide bolt is inserted coaxial with the rotor shaft, which guide bolt projects in a guide groove of the control disc, whereby the guide groove extends in the direction to the engaging points of the sealing feed wings arranged between the insert channel and the vacuum chamber and the pressure chamber, respectively.

By these means, the radial forces from the guide bolt being effective in the pressure chamber onto the pump wings and thereby onto the control disc are assumed, so that they cannot influence any more the position of the control disc. Due to this fact the feeding wing pressure cannot be transferred any more to the wings and the suction chamber, so that the total friction in the pump is reduced and the life and the output, respectively, are increased. Simultaneously, the complementary guide of the guide bolt brings about that the displacement force exerted or exercised by the spring pressure to the control disc takes place safely only in the direction required for the function of the pump, namely against the pump spring to be engaged.

The present invention uses the arrangement of the guide groove in the control disc for a further improve ment, which results in the fact that in the pump cover a spring bolt is provided which projects into the guide groove and is loaded axially by the spring pressure, which spring bolt supports itself on the control disc over an inclined face. By this arrangement, in accordance with the present invention, also the spring bolt equipped with flattened portions which engage the walls of the guide groove. In an advantageous manner, in accordance with the present invention, the spring bolt is arranged with the pressure spring in an insert member, which is removable in the cover secured thereto such that the spring bolt support itself by means of the spring in case the cover is in its closed position.

By this arrangement, the spring bolt joins the assumption of the pressure from the pressure chamber and simultaneously joins the guide of the control disc.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section of the feeding device along the lines 11 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a section along the lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a part elevation of the rotor at an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a section along the lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section of another embodiment of the ring spring;

FIG. 6 is a section.66 of FIG 7 of another embodiment of the feeding device;

FIG. 7 is a section along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a further variation of the feeding device, the cover being removed; and

FIG. 9 is a section along the lines of 9-9 of FIG 8.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 1-4, the feeding device comprises a pump housing 1 which is equipped with a feeding hopper 2 and the pump housing 1 defines a pump chamber 3 which is connected by the inlet channel 4 with the hopper 2 and by means of the pressure channel 5 with the filling device of the sausage filling machine (not shown). A branch 6 is flanged to the pump housing 1 in which the pump shaft 7 is eccentrically mounted to the pump chamber 3. On the shaft 7, on the one hand, a driving gear 8 and, on the other hand, the pump rotor 10 is secured, in the radial slots of which the feeding wings 11 are displaceably inserted. All feeding wings are aligned on a ring spring 12 disposed concentrically to the pump chamber 3, which ring spring 12 is joined by the wings in the rotary movement. Each feeding wing is equipped with a holding opening 13 corresponding with the profile of the ring spring, which holding opening 13 is dimensioned such, that the wings are still tangentially displaceable free from clamping on the spring. Since the spring, as shown in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 4, comprises a plurality of windings, or, as shown in FIG. 5, has a long extended opening slit 14, the individual feeding wings 11 can be inserted in a simple manner in the ring spring and can be removed therefrom, respectively, and remain, for instance, during mounting or cleaning, together on the ring spring without loss.

At its under end side the pump chamber is covered up by a cover 15. This cover 15 has a cylindrically shaped projection 16 extending into the pump chamber and arranged concentrically therein, on the peripheral face of which the inner edges of the feeding wings support themselves, as long as they pass the pressure section of the pump chamber (T to Q).

Simultaneously, the spring path of the ring spring is limited by the projection 16 to a tolerable measure, which is, however, kept at such size, that the feeding wings are pressed resiliently towards the inner wall of the pump housing and the wear of the wings and of the housing wall is compensated for. The diameter of the ring spring 12 is chosen such that, for instance, in case of an empty feeding device, all wings are pushed with a certain pretension onto the pump housing and that by possible wear of the wings, still a sufficient pressure onto the pump housing remains. In the section Q to P the complementary connection of the feeding wings with the ring spring brings about, that the wings corresponding to the eccentricity e are displaced radially relative to the rotor.

For the amplification of the suction effect of the pump and for the removal of the air which is fed with the incoming mass, one part of the suction section extending from point U to point P is connected by means of the channels 17 and 18 to a source having pressure below atmospheric pressure, whereby about between point M and point N the vacuum chamber 20 is formed which is disposed at least for a distance of two feeding Wings in front of the terminal (point N) of the incoming channel 4. In order to include into the effect of the vacuum chamber 20 also the inner chambers of the pump, channels 23 and 24, respectively, are worked into the plane side of the lower cover 15 and of the inner cover 22, respectively, whereby the channel 23 connects the vacuum chamber 20 with a cylindrical recess in the rotor 10 and, thereby, connects also with the pressure chamber. By these channels 23 and 24, respectively, air bubbles which, under circumstances, are still present in the pressure chamber, are sucked off by slots on the guide slits of the feeding Wings 11 and On the plane side of the rotor 10. The mass particles sucked up thereby into the recess 25 are fed due to the rotation of the feeding wings extending into this recess to the channel 23 and return under the suction effect of the vacuum into the area between the vacuum chamber 20 and the inlet channel 4 and finally into the range of the inlet channel 4.

In order to assure an effective sealing between the outer edges and the feeding wings 11 and the cylindrical guide face of the pump chamber in the section directly in front of the vacuum chamber starting at M, the

4 eccentricity e of the rotor 10 is somewhat larger than the difference between the radii of these parts. Thereby, an overlapping of these radii results, starting at point Q and extending up to point M, which secures the desired sealing.

Each feeding Wing 11 is equipped at its outer edge with an inclination 27. This inclination 27 serves the reception of a pressure force, which is created in the feeding cell 28 due to the precompression occurring therein and which tends to displace the feeding wings against the effect of the ring 12 inwardly. The mentioned precompression in the cell 28 occurs due to the fact, that the start T of the pressure chamver and of the exit channel 5, respectively, is disposed at about two cell distances behind the end P of the inlet channel 4. The precompression has the purpose to reduce the difference between the pressures in the pressure chamber and in the feeding cell entering into this chamber and to equalize or compensate, respectively, and to avoid thereby a pulse feeding, which due to the compressible feeding goods would be created. Since a maximum precompression pressure is set, which corresponds with the high values of the feeding pressure, the forces effective perpendicularly to the feeding Wings on both sides coming to equilibrium as soon as the pressures prevailing On both sides are equal. By this arrangement, the friction forces between the guide slot and the wings are equal zero and the compression pressure in the cell 28 presses now over the inclination 27 the wing against the force of the ring spring inwardly, whereby the wing lifts itself from the pump Wall and a connection between the cell chamber 28 and the pressure chamber is brought about. Due to this arrangement, also in favor of an equalized operation of the pump, too strong a precompression is made impossible. The projection 16 prevents thereby that the wings standing under the effect of the high filling pressure can transform over the ring spring too great a radial force component to the wing passing the suction range.

With the described feeding device during the production of sausages, the individual sausages can be filled continuously, as well as continuously portioned. During the portioning, the rotor of the feeding device is driven intermittently over a limited rotary angle settable in correspondence with the portion volume.

Referring now again to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 6. and 7, in the inner chamber .30 of the rotor 10 closed by the cover 15, the control disc 31 is inserted eccentrically to the rotor 10 and radially freely movable, however, non-rotatably. The screw is equipped with a recess 32 in which an eccentric pin 33 engages. The latter is part of a rotary shaft 34, which is mounted in the cover 15 and on which by means of a ring 35- the pretension of a rotary spring '36 anchored in the cover 15 is effected. On the shaft 34 is secured outside of the cover a hand lever 37, which renders possible during assembly of the cover 15 the tensioning of the spring and the insertion of the pin 33 into the recess 32.

The helical spring 36 is inserted such, that its pretension tends to turn the shaft 34 clockwise, so that the eccentric pin 33 exerts a force extending in the direction of the arrow F onto the control disc 31. By corresponding formation of the control disc periphery during rotation of the rotor 10, only the two feeding wings 11 disposed in front of the point .N and behind the point T come to engagement with the screw or the disc 31 and are simultaneously tightly pressed towards the wall of the pump chamber, whereby they support themselves against the spring force F on the disc 31.

The mentioned tight engagement of the feeding wings in the ranges prior to the terminal of the inlet channel 4 (point N) and in front of the start of the pressure channel 5 (point T), as well as the remaining functions of the shown feeding device are clearly brought out.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings, an embodiment is disclosed, in which the feeding Wings 41,

jointly moved with the rotor 40 and disposed within the pump chamber, support themselves, on the one hand, at the inner periphery of the housing 42 and, on the other hand, on the peripheral edge of a control disc 43. The design of the support faces is such thereby that only four pump wings 41a, 41b, 41c and 41d are pressed tightly against the housing wall. The wings 41a and 41b seal thereby between the entrance channel 44 and the vacuum chamber V, while the wings 41c and 41d assume the sealing between the inlet channel 44 and the pressure chamber D. The other wings, indicated in point-dotted lines, move with slight play between their guiding faces, so that the actual friction points are limited to the wings Ha-41d.

The securing of this advantage presumes, however, that the radial pressure indicated by arrows and exerted in the pressure chamber D onto the end sides. of the feeding wings is not transformed, as until now, by the movable control disc 43 to the feeding wings 41 running on the suction side and produces there additional friction and wear. In order to avoid this, the control disc 43 is equipped with a groove 45, which runs in the direction to the sealing engaging points of the feeding wings 41a-41d and in which the guide bolt 46 with its flattening faces projects. The bolt 46 is fixed to the cover 48, which cover 48 closes the pump from above. By this arrangement, the guide bolt 46 is in position to catch the abovementioned pressure forces of the feeding wings and. to render them non-damaging.

Simultaneously, the guide bolt 46 in cooperation with the groove 45 provides a forced guide of a control disc movable in the horizontal plane in the direction towards the sealing feeding wings 41a-41d.

A continuous resilient pressure force is exerted onto the control disc 43 by a spring bolt '50 which projects with lateral flattenings 51 likewise into the guide groove 45 and supports itself there on the one hand over an inclined face 52 on the control disc 43. On the other hand, the bolt 50 is continuously charged by a pretensioned spring 53 which supports itself on the pump cover 48. The spring sits in a hollow chamber 54 of the spring bolt 50, the latter being guided in an insert member 55, which is secured in the cover 48. In case the cover is open, the spring 53 can displace the bolt 50 only up to the abutment of the flange 56. Upon mounting the cover 48, the pretension of the spring takes place automatically by support of the bolt 50 on the face 52.

Since the spring bolt 50 sits likewise in the pump cover 48, it is engaged with the guide of the control disc 43, as well as with the support of the pressure forces of the feeding wings effective upon the control disc 43, so that a safe guide of the control disc 43 in a manner favorable for the pump function is assured.

While I have disclosed several embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A feeding device for pulpy masses of the type of a bucket pump, comprising a pump housing including a wall and having a cover,

a rotor disposed eccentrically in said pump housing,

and having radial slots,

feeding wings guided in said rotor and cooperating with said wall of said housing,

said pump housing including an inlet channel,

a vacuum chamber disposed in front of said inlet channel in order to suck off air,

a common resilient element centrally inserted in said pump housing, and

said feeding wings supporting themselves in radial direction on said resilient element.

2. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said common resilient element comprises a ring spring,

and

said ring spring is inserted concentrically in said pump housing and rotating with said rotor.

3. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said feeding wings are aligned complementary and exchangeably on said ring spring, whereby said ring spring has a long opening and a plurality of adjacent disposed windings.

4. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cover has a cylindrical projection extending into and being concentric to said pump housing,

said projection being surrounded by said resilient element, and

the inner edges of said feeding wings supporting themselves within the range of the diminishing cell chambers.

5. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the rotary axis of said rotor is spaced apart from the center of said pump housing for an eccentricity larger than the difference between the radii of said parts.

6. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, which includes an exitand pressure-channel, respectively, for the goods to be fed,

said inlet-channel having an end, and

said channel starts in a range of said pump chamber,

which is disposed for about two spaces of said feedingtwings after the end of said inlet-channel, so that a precompression of the goods to be fed takes place prior to reaching said pressure channel.

7. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the end edges of said feeding wings sliding along the wall of said pump housing are equipped with an inclination pointing against the direction of rotation, so that by the compression pressure a component of the force effective in radial direction on said feeding wing can be formed.

8. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vacuum chamber of said housing is connected by means of channels with a concentric recess provided in said rotor and tapping slots of said feeding wings,

9. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a control disc inserted in the rotor chamber eccentrically to said rotor and freely movable in radial direction, however non-rotatably,

the periphery of said central disc determining the radial position of said feeding wings,

a pretensioned spring supporting itself on said housing and the pretension being continuously elfective against said control disc, and

said pretensioned spring pressing said feeding wings to the inner wall of said pump housing within a predetermined range.

10. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 9, wherein said supporting spring comprises a helical spring provided with pretension in said housing cover, which helical spring is effective upon a rotary shaft with an eccentric pin, entering a recess of said control disc.

11. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 9, which includes a guide bolt inserted coaxially with the rotor shaft into the cover of said pump housing,

said guide bolt projecting with fiat faces into a guide groove of said control disc, and

said guide groove extends in the direction towards said engagement points of the sealing feeding wings disposed between said inlet channel and said vacuum chamber and said pressure chamber, respectively.

12. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 11, which includes an axial spring bolt, biased by spring pressure and bolt supports itself by means of said spring on said projecting into said guide groove provided in said cover in the closing position of the latter. cover of said pump housing, and

said spring belt supports itself on said control disc on References Cited an Oblique face- UNITED STATES PATENTS 13. The feeding device, as set forth in claim 12, wherein 5 475 367 5 1 2 said spring bolt has flattened faces which engage the 2 3 walssermann 17*37 walls Said guide gmove' 2325 76; 6%; et al 17 37 4. i

1 The feeding device as set forth in claim 12 wherein 2,963,735 12/1960 Gaudhtz 17 37 said spring bolt is disposed with said pressure spring in 10 an insert member, being removably secured to said cover of said pump housing such, that said spring LUCIE LAUDENSLAGER Pnmary Exammer 

